What Money Can Do
by SahBruh-Hummus
Summary: She was the coldest, most detached and most stubborn of the entire group. What more, was that she was the most beautiful, too. Someone had to tell her that, someone had to be able to break that outer layer of ice, but it was not going to be easy. AU Zelink.


"Here they are."

Daphnes gave Link a sheet of paper before opening the door. Link looked at the paper, realizing what his 'reward' was.

It had a large list of names, ages, personalities, and work styles.

Link was brought to a _slave house._

"Sir, I'm okay, really," Link said to Daphnes, "I can't do this."

"Nonsense, boy! You earned it, and there's nothing better I can do to reward you!"

Daphnes was set. There was nothing Link could do to change his mind, so he let this one pass.

Inside, there was a long line of children, age probably ranging from 8 to 15. Link only felt worse at the sight of them.

"Stand up straight! This man might be your new master, so you'd better look good for him!" Daphnes barked. Immediately, all of the children had their heads up, shoulders straight, and eyes forward.

There was one, however, that decided that she was too lazy to do all that. Link noticed her immediately, and he walked over to her.

She was leaning against the back wall, arms crossed, a scowl on her face, and she was looking intently at Link. He looked at his list and read the names, until he aligned the number on the sheet with the number above the girl.

Daphnes came up behind him. "Link, this here's Zelda. She's a tough one, been put in as a servant multiple times, due to her masters' complaints."

The girl scoffed. "Yeah, you speak as if I'm a new exhibit behind glass." She then peered at Link, looking at him closely. "You're not old enough to be a master."

Link rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm... well-"

"Zelda! You do not have permission to speak! Now, Link, which one?" Daphnes ordered.

Link blinked at Zelda. She had the smoothest of hair in the pit, surprisingly much. It was as if she carried a comb with her at all times, which was probably true. It was a gold more golden than any Link has ever seen, yet it wasn't nearly as surprising as her violet eyes. Usually, Link very rarely saw violet eyes, golden hair, and he never saw both together.

When he looked at the sheet again, the gazes of all of the slaves, plus Daphnes, felt overwhelming. He didn't dare meet any of them, but instead looked at Zelda's 'stats'.

 _22\. Zelda  
Age: 16  
Personality: Always cold and stubborn, every once in a while willing to talk about deep topics.  
Work Status: Very determined. Usually comes with a scowl.  
Other: DON'T GET SMITTEN WITH HER._

Link widened his eyes at her age. 16? That's much too old to be in a slave place like this! Link, being only 17, felt that anyone older than 15 would be too old to work like that.

Then again, he remembered that the official Hyrule age of becoming independent is 18. Link wasn't that old himself!

At that moment, he decided who he'd take.

"Sir, I'll take Zelda," he said.

Daphnes' eyes widened as Zelda's mouth curved up slightly, brightening her entire face. "Zelda?" Daphnes questioned.

"I said I'll take her," he repeated. Link put his hand out toward Zelda, who just looked at it. He shook it a little. Zelda slowly regained her posture and took his hand with hers.

"Alright, if you say so," Daphnes said. He scratched the back of his head, watching the introductions between the two. Zelda came out of the line, following Link away.

 _That man IS insane!_ Daphnes thought. _After all, he did save Hyrule..._

Outside, Link still held Zelda's hand.

As they walked to his small cabin, Zelda didn't say a word. Her smile eventually faded away to the bored face. Once they got to their destination, Link opened the door for Zelda, who didn't do anything but walk in.

"Welcome to your new house!" Link said, smiling greatly.

Zelda glanced at Link before saying, "So, where will I be, _master_?"

Link winced at the name. "You know what, don't call me that. I would much rather prefer 'Link', which is, in fact, my name. I won't be calling you 'Minion', will I?"

"I don't know, will you?"

"OKAY, your room is over there to the left. I'll be straight across the hallway."

 _Change of subject,_ Zelda thought. "I'm kind of exhausted, I'm going to retire for tonight," Zelda said, while walking over to the said location.

What did you even do, Link wanted to ask. Instead, he just watched Zelda's easy gait to her room, thinking, _I have a slave. She's beautiful. What am I going to do?_

* * *

The next day, Zelda was up bright and early, looking for the normal note of things to do before the master comes home. She looked on the tables and benches, but could not find one.

 _Could this be? Someone who doesn't force me to work?_

"Oh, good morning, Zelda," Link said behind her, after she looked around for a decent amount of time. She turned to meet Link, who was in his sleeping clothes, giving her a very good look at the exposed muscles.

Link examined Zelda. She didn't have any new clothing, it seemed, yet her hair looked as smooth as silk.

"You're up early."

"You're up late," Zelda retorted. Now she'll have to have less time to do these things, and even less time to annoy the master!

Link walked over to the window, looking at the sun just over the horizon. "It's just past dawn. Why are you up so early?"

Zelda tapped her foot impatiently. "That's when my previous masters want me to wake up and start doing stuff."

"I'm not your master," Link said to her. "Think of me as your senior."

She scoffed. "Yeah, how old are you?"

 _This will be an interesting experience,_ Link thought. "Seventeen," he answered.

"A one year difference isn't enough to be called someone's senior."

"I agree."

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "Then why do you want me to call you my senior, _master_?"

That time, Link ignored the _master_ and the mocking. "I don't know, do you want to be my equal?"

"Obviously."

"Okay, equal it is."

"Really?"

"Why not?"

"You just got me as your new servant."

"Yeah, but I can't imagine a pretty girl like you being someone's servant," Link said, "unless you were used for someone's personal relief, if you know what I'm saying."

Zelda wrinkled her nose. It was at him calling her a pretty girl and the hint at what he's trying to say.

"But, anyway, let's get you some new clothes. You look like a servant in those clothes," Link said, waving his hands.

Zelda rolled her eyes. _That's because I AM one._

* * *

"You missed that spot."

"Hey, you missed that entire bookshelf!"

"So? That's your bookshelf!"

"Okay..."

Zelda got out of another one, yet again! She smiled at Link's exaggerated exhaustion, slumped over and heavy breathing.

By the time she was finished with her section, Link had just yelled, "I'm done!"

"Me, too," Zelda said, falling into Link's arms. She wrapped her arms around him.

"Well, another day gone, huh?"

"Yep. Good job today. For both of us."

"Yeah."

They held each other for a little longer, until they broke and went to their respective rooms.

Right before the light went out, they said simultaneously, "Good night."

* * *

Yawning, Zelda stretched, her arms over her head. They touched the back wall as she sat up in bed. Jumping out of bed, she heard voices in the main room.

"Good morning, Link!" Zelda's voice said. Link looked and saw her, face smiling bright and clear as could be.

 _Oh no, she's on one of her good days!_

"Who's this?" She asked as she came closer to the table Link was sitting at. She gestured to Ganon.

Link looked at the table. "Zelda, take a seat, yeah," he said. She did so. "Um, it might be better, if you... um... called me 'master.'"

Zelda looked so confused, but yet still happy. How could that possible combination have so much effect on Link?

Link tried to answer. "Well, this is Ganon, and he's here, because, um..."

Ganon interrupted. "My, you're right! She's definitely more than 7 grand! Hey, I'll raise it to 9 grand, how about that?"

Link flushed. Zelda's eyes widened, her hand at her mouth.

Zelda's eyes flickered from both of the men in front of her. "W-what?"

Ganon took out another handful of gold rupees and stuffed them into the bag in the middle of the table. "How about that?"

Link looked at Zelda, who looked as scared as she was happy a few minutes ago.

"Are you... are you _selling me?_ "

Ganon smiled at Zelda, hungrily drinking in her image.

Link very slowly brought his hand over the table. Suddenly, he snatched the bag of rupees and the same time that Ganon stood up quickly, his chair falling to the ground. He laughed loudly, intimidatingly, frighteningly powerful.

Ganon brought his arm around Zelda and started to bring her away. She resisted, looking at Link frantically. "You can't do this! You can't!"

"Zelda, I need the money!"

"No! NOO!"

Ganon's strength got her to the door, before she finally escaped his grip. She did not run back further into the house, though, instead, she looked at Link darkly. They were a familiar... _coldness_.

He hadn't seen it in a year.

Zelda's teeth were pressed together, her eyes slits. "You _can_ do this. You _can_ sell me, even everything I ever reciprocated for you. Everything I ever felt for you," she whispered, Ganon taking her arm again, "but money can _never_ buy you my love."

They had left. Link looked at the bag in his hand, full of thousands of rupees.

He swiped his arm across the table, flinging the bag onto the ground, opening it and rupees spilled everywhere. His head came into his hands, his mind was running.

 _What have I done?_

* * *

 _Knock knock._

Link heard the heavy shuffling of feet behind the door. Finally, the door opening, revealing a large Ganon in a bathrobe. Link looked at the ground, wondering what he just saw.

"Hello, sir," he said to the ground, "I'm here to take back Zelda."

Ganon laughed. "You're the guy I took her from, aren't you? It's been a full half year, and you still haven't bothered to come pick her up. I'll tell you what, she's been acting up this entire time!" He led Link inside as he continued talking about his journey with Zelda.

Instead of going upstairs, which was where Link supposed Zelda was, they went downstairs into the basement.

They stopped in front of what looked like a barn stable, except on the inside, there was a large mattress and a girl laying on top. She was facing away from them, so Link couldn't recognize her. From what Ganon was talking about, though, he could guess who she was. (You readers probably can to. Well, you're correct.)

Her blond hair was splayed everywhere, rough and unsettled. She was as skinny as a stick, and her bare feet were pale.

Noticing their presence, she turned around and saw both of the men. Her eyes met with Link, and then she turned back to lay down again.

Ganon still smiled, or in this case, it was more of a smirk. "Yep, this is Zelda! I don't know what happened, but she she's definitely not worth that 9 grand I gave you. Her skills in bed are still the same though, so she's a keeper."

 _HER SKILLS IN BED?!_

Link took out a bag from his pocket, the same one Ganon gave to him six months ago. "Here. this is 14,500 rupees. I'll take her back."

Ganon looked at Link in disbelief. "Well, I just told you, she's a keeper. You're not going to get her back."

Link looked up and Ganon in the eye. "Well, I just told you, I'm here to take back Zelda, and I'm determined to do that."

Ganon crossed his arms. "Well, I'm her master right now, and this wasn't negotiated at all."

 _SLAP!_

"No, I _WILL_ take her back."

Ganon was furious, right at that moment, right there. His eyes seemed to explode, they would've been red if it depicted his anger.

* * *

It was silent on the way back.

Zelda had a scowl on her face the entire way back, Link's face was throbbing in pain.

Eventually, Zelda broke the silence. "Where'd you get that money?" It was hoarse and rough, as if she spent hours upon hours everyday just screaming.

"I didn't. That bag only had a thousand rupees in it," Link replied.

There was nothing more said. Zelda went to her room, Link went to his. _Tomorrow_ , he thought, _tomorrow_ , _I will consult Zelda_.

* * *

Zelda threw her arms up furiously.

"What are you trying to do? Woo me?"

"What?"

"Well, guess what! YOU CAN'T WIN A BROKEN HEART!" she screamed.

"What if I'm not trying to 'woo' you? Maybe I'm just fond of you!"

"Then why? Why did you sell me like some piece of property?"

Link had no answer to that. Was it for the money? He can't be THAT greedy, can he?

Zelda turned around, her back faced Link. Her hair was no smoother that it was when Link saw her at Ganon's manor. It was all Link could see, and he had to resist the urge to comb through her hair, like he did one time ago.

"Zelda, you know I was in a financial crisis."

"Out of all the things to sell, you sell _me?!_ I thought I actually meant something in your life!"

"You do! You do! I had to do it, because you were probably the thing worth most."

"Well, what about this _stupid_ house?! I'm sure that worth _tons_ more than I could possibly!"

"Now you just being unreasonable! How could I possible just _sell my house?_ "

" _HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY JUST SELL ME LIKE THAT?!"_ Zelda whipped around, her eyes red and swollen. It fueled Link's anger at her selfishness, her misunderstanding on the concept of finance. She stood up and walked to her room. Right before she entered, she turned and faced Link, saying, "Fine. _Fine._ I'm your property, and it would be better for all of us to just realized that now! I'll be waiting for further orders, _master!_ " She sobbed one last time, before slamming the door shut.

Link's anger slowly dissipated, now having nothing to retaliate against. The sight of Zelda's broken face was etched into his mind, and suddenly, he had to leave.

It was outside he went, but he didn't stop there. He kept running until he made it to the edge of the forest. It connected with Lake Hylia on this side, which was where he went when he just wanted to relax. Now, with all these conflicting emotions swirling in his mind, he screamed.

He _screamed._

It came with the kick of the tree, tufts of grass everywhere, and a drenched Link. His voice echoed around the trees, the dusk sky seemed to scatter away from the lake. He screamed until he could no longer, and his mind wouldn't stop having it's own civil war.

"WHY, ZELDA?" Why did Zelda have to come into his life, complicating everything tenfold? Why did she have to intrude his once peaceful life, right before Daphnes came? Why did it seem like he even wanted Zelda to be in his life at all?

He slumped onto the ground, the war in his mind at peace.

* * *

Zelda scrubbed the floor for the fourth time. It was something that she could put her energy on while Link was gone.

 _Pffft._

That was what Zelda thought of absolutely everything at that moment. The table is made of wood? _Pffft._ The sky is blue? _Pffft._ Link cares about her?

 _Pfffffffffffft._

It wasn't easy. It took her an hour and three quarters to finish the entire interior of the cabin, yet she still pondered what life was about?

Being a slave, what was it? There wasn't any point. Especially when the master wasn't home. There wasn't anything to do, except clean and clean and clean. Nothing. Nothing at all.

The scowl remained on her face for six hours, until she realized that she hadn't eaten anything since she woke up and it was already past noon. Responding to her hunger, her stomach seemed to just sneeze right there.

"Yeah, right. You're not getting anything more than I'm getting anything," Zelda said to her own stomach. She continued to rub, scrub, and something else than ends in ub.

After a few more hours, her stomach was killing her. _Shut up, I don't care._ What was there to care for, anyways?

The process needed to speed up. After making it back to the kitchen, she looked at herself through the reflection of the window. Suddenly, she ran to the side drawer, opened it, along with a few other, and got out the large melon knife.

It was held to her wrists for at least a minute, before her mind was made up right there.

* * *

Why did it feel like she really needed sleep? Zelda had probably been sleeping for days. How did she know? She didn't know. She didn't know if she knew how long she had been sleeping, but she did know that she knew she knew.

Slowly, Zelda opened her eyes and got up, but a massive ache in her stomach caused her to groan, which did not sound healthy.

"Zelda!"

She tried to place the voice, but it sounded blurred and tired. Obviously, it was Link, and she couldn't see who it was. She doubled over onto her side, opening her eyes to the wall in front of her face.

"Zelda, eat something. Here."

Food sounded amazing. Zelda turned around and was met with a plate of food, which was glamorous in it's own way. She reached out from under the soft blanket and shoved food down her throat. If it were any other day, it would've tasted stale, but now, it was so satisfying. She ate the entire plate in a minute, before she winced from the sudden stretch of her throat and esophagus.

Finally, she settled in the bed, not daring to try to do anything else. Her voice sounded horrible, and she could tell without even saying anything. She opened her eyes to see Link, who was sitting in a chair next to the bed.

She turned around to face the wall again.

"Zelda, look at me, please. I'm not sure how long you've been asleep, but you're not healthy right now."

Zelda grunted.

"Please? I just want to know that you're okay."

Slowly, she brought up her hand so it was out of the blanket. It was in a fist, then she jerked her thumb up toward the ceiling. Did she feel okay? Not really. Still, she turned around to face Link, giving him the coldest stare she could. It had the intended effect on Link, who scooted his chair back a little bit.

"Um, are you still angry at me?"

She raised an eyebrow. It was as if Link didn't want to be angered at.

 _But with his tear stained cheeks, his voice raw, his eyes red, his hair..._

Of course he didn't want to be cross with someone. Who would?

"I forgive you, _master._ "

Link winced, deciding not to say any more. He left the room, leaving Zelda to contemplate on her actions so far. Did Link really care about her? He seemed to have been anxious as he waited for Zelda to wake up. His tears showed what conflicts he's been going through.

It was easy to forgive him, because of how disgustingly handsome he was.

Zelda sat in bed, staring at the door that Link exited from. She stared at it for far longer than she realized, before she snapped back into reality.

When she went of the room, the front door was wide open, letting cold wind blow into the house. There was a note on the table. He had been gone for less than an hour and there was a note on the table?

 _Zelda,_

 _I'm not going to be here when you read this. I'm probably a little away, but I'm not heading home._

 _Meet me at Lake Hylia, the place I brought you to after the first month._

 _I'm sorry._

 _-Link_

Zelda closed her eyes, put her head down and sighed. She put her head in her hands and decided that there was nothing worth thinking about anymore.

What was he sorry for? Does every 'sorry' require forgiveness? How many times has he said that, anyway?

Not much, surprisingly. He was always gone these days, leaving Zelda to clean the house for hours. It was frustrating that Link never helped clean the house anymore; wasn't he supposed to be asking for forgiveness?

Still, she went there anyway.

* * *

There she was. She was standing there, right next to the lake, staring straight into the lake. She was exactly like she was when Link saw her first. Her hair smoother than possible, her dress white and plain, her arms crossed.

Her scowl still obvious.

He approached slowly, making sure not to have her notice him too early, but not a surprise.

"Zelda. I'm glad you came."

She turned towards him and did absolutely nothing else.

"So, Lake Hylia is pretty amazing, isn't it?"

"Get to the point," she snapped.

Link, frozen in speech, blinked at her sudden outburst. He cleared his throat and said, "Right. Well, I just wanted to tell you a few things today."

She nodded slightly.

"Um, well, for one, I'll just say that I really liked having you around. Maybe a little too much, because when you left-"

"When you _sold me_ ," she interrupted.

"...yeah, I was quite miserable. Now, I'm really sorry for anything Ganon did to you, and I'm also sorry for this night."

Zelda winced inwardly.

"Zelda, turn around, please," he more begged than commanded.

"Why?" she countered.

"Just do it."

Her eyes narrowed, but she did so anyway.

 _This is it!_ he thought. He approached her very slowly, then reached under her long hair. A click, then something cold was resting on Zelda's collarbone.

She darted her eyes down to her chest, seeing the jewel. It was, surprisingly, very purple. It was almost hypnotizing how purple it was, and for a split second, she forgot the entire business thing.

She turned and threw her arms around Link, pulling him into a hug. Link exhaled sharply, then started laughing. It was not of the humor of the situation, it was knowing that they were back no embracing each other. Zelda had a huge smile on her face, buried into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Link. I forgive you, I was just too stubborn to say that to you."

"Yes, I know."

She gasped mockingly, stepping back from Link. He was suddenly afraid of her reaction, but it disappeared once Zelda said, "Well, you were just too selfish to realize that you forgive me, too!"

His smile grew again, and he pulled her in again.

Zelda face was tilted up to meet Link's eyes. "Oh, by the way, you _can_ win a broken heart."

They laughed smoothly, but then both stopped suddenly. Link's eyes went down to Zelda's lips, which were a few inches apart from his. Zelda's eyes flickered from his eyes and his lips, probably thinking the same thing. They flushed, suddenly aware of the position.

Zelda pulled his face down and closed the distance, leaning her head back even more. Her top lip met first, then her lips rolled into place. Zelda stepped onto the tips of her feet and tilted her head sideways to get a better angle, silently resolving all conflicts she ever had against him right then and there. Her hands crawled up his front to rest on his chest, as his arms went around the bottom of her neck.

They slowly pulled away, faces as flushed as they were before, now completely aware of their position.

There was no stop in the smiling, no stop in their silent love for each other, and there was certainly no stop in their wanting for more.


End file.
